Since I started instrument flying in 2011, I have found Elite to be a very useful tool for reminding me how to scan, fly a route and fly traditional IAPs. More recent versions have GNS430, my old version does not. I use a year 2000 PC with Windows XP (I never connect it to the internet). I have a gaming joystick (not a realistic yoke) and set the simulator to keep the aeroplane in balance i.e. I don’t use rudder. Sounds primitive and it is but it does fulfil the functions I describe. In some ways it is more difficult than the real thing because you have no control feel and very limited sound cues. It is simpler than real life in that there is no radio traffic although I think it comes with scenarios that simulate that but in American English. I have never tried those. The software is not expensive and as described, requires very little hardware. It has no visual flight capability to speak of.
Euroflyer, you can download the demo version of X-Plane from their website, it is the full version but time-limited to 10 minutes. It runs on Mac, you better have have a good graphics card. I am very happy with the Beech models by Corenado (F33A since it most closely resembles my own A36). Even the BE58 that comes with the package is very good. Demo installer X-Plane
172driver wrote:
It syncs beautifully with ForeFlight, btw.
Also SkyDemon
Noe wrote:
The knob twisting on G430 waas especially painful,
http://www.transair.co.uk/sp+Elite-IFR-Simulation-ELITE-AP-4000-GNS430-Module+1217
The GTN implementation from RealityXP is excellent, and responds well on a touch sensitive screen.
If you’d have to recommend me a sim, which one would I have to take ?
I’m a sim noob, and I want to train IFR procedures in a Beech model, as realistic as can be, especially the avionics – I have a Garmin GNS530?
And, I have a Mac, so something running on it (or a windows emulation) would be better than purchasing a PC workstation.
Any comments :) ?
Noe wrote:
Human ATC?
Yes, you get human live ATC from well trained hobbyists and human live pilots (flights) visible and on TCAS etc. around you and all for free.
Networks: www.vatsim.net and there is also www.ivao.aero
I fly with Prepar3D and provide ATC on VATSIM .
@atmilatos flies with X-Plane11 and also provides ATC on VATSIM .
Flightsimming has helped me big time to keep the rust of my instrument flying skills and also in other areas like anticipating and compensating.
On line flying helps me in multitasking and R/T.
I’ve been playing with FS for more than 20 years, but seriously only in the later 10 years, when I’ve been closely following the hardware and software advancements. I’m also active online, in VATSIM, as a (v)pilot and (v)ATCO.
I’ve been using FSX, Prepar3D (P3D) and lately X-Plane 10 (XP10) and XP11. It is said that XP does a better job in the aircraft-flying part since it does some fancy physics computations, but P3D has the edge on visuals.
For a VFR pilot and ATCO like myself, I’ve gained the following:
- Experience with “IFR-ish” flights in SE GA. It’s nice to get to know how things work.
- Experience in airliner procedures. The more an ATCO knows about aircraft ops the better. There are “serious” looking airliners in the FS world and sim companies that try to simulate more and more. Real-world pilots have told me that some airplanes are really realistic especially procedure-wise.
- Simulating a flight and an approach to an airport I’ve never been to. Newer sceneries are photorealistic and really detailed, so you can fly low-level and do some sightseeing as well.
- Testing ATC stuff while online. I admit that online ATC can be pretty realistic (there are amateurs that study hard) but you also need good vpilots for that. Of course virtual ATC leaves a lot of things out of the picture.
- Online simulation makes good friends.
AFAIK you can find good G1000 in both P3D and XP. Knob twisting needs getting used to and differs between different software manufacturers, so one has to find the one he likes most. Can’t comment on VR, it’s really new.
To really enjoy all that (good frames + graphics) you’ll need at least a 1000E PC, a fast/large/dense monitor (approx 300-500E), a yoke/stick/throttle/rudder combination (let’s say 300E) and another 200E on the sim (online ATC is free software though). If you like to build things you can try to build a home cockpit (this needs skill and Euros). 
@petakas is the FS guru and can give more insight on the IFR part.
I think @atmilatos and @petakas might know about the ATC part
Are avionics “usable” in XPlane11? 10 still has preggy big deficiencies there. The knob twisting on G430 waas especially painful, and I don’t really expect that you could actually do something unless pausing the game.
Is there any G1000?
Human ATC?
How does VR work?
Are helicopters working well?
I am thinking of upgrading my very old desktop.
MedEwok wrote:
I’m not IR rated so I cannot really judge the usefulness of this “training”, but I assume it would be sufficient to get me down an ILS alive in bad visibility (assuming no defects and no adverse weather).
Careful. I would strongly sugest to once try this with an FI and foggles to see how it is in a real plane. The sensations are quite different and do remember that most of our planes are not anywhere close as good equipped than the FS airplanes, particularly in terms of Autopilot.
MedEwok wrote:
For VFR flying I found the PC less useful because it “feels” totally different from actual flying.
For VFR, what you need is the proper scenery to make use of it but then you can easily train cross country flights with visual ground marks. There are very good VFR Sceneries for both Germany and Switzerland as well as for other places. I have not paid too much attention in recent years as my focus switched from Simulation to real flying again, but have a look at Aerosoft, they have a huge selection of products. Likewise you can get very detailed airport sceneries which greatly help with preparing trips to larger airports.
Also for VFR I would strongly recommend Track IR. This is a hardware which allows you to use 3D cockpits and looking around by moving your head. I found it almost impossible to fly VFR without it, particularly in helicopters, but that is another story entirely yet again. But even for the default 172 and the Mooney they have, it works well and it will work even better with larger airplanes.
I also found that flight simulation does profit from a really big screen, mostly in the form of 40 inch or larger TV screens. Today these are really cheap and you don’t need the top one, a 200-300 Euro full HD screen will do nicely. I use an old Grundig which can’t be used for cable TV anymore as it has no cable tuner but works well via HDMI from the PC. I recently “flew” a sim which used a 65 inch Samsung TV of the first curved kind and it was absolutely stunning. The guy bought it on a sale for less than 500 Euros.
MedEwok wrote:
I would often fly at max. cruise speed and altitude until the last possible moment, then set the power to idle, deploy full flaps, gear down and then try to land. You’d never do this kind of stuff in real life but it works often enough in FS:X
Any sim works only as good as you make it work. You will profit the most if you use real life procedures and if you adapt the panel of the plane you fly as close as possible to the real thing. There is software available to do this, FS Panel Studio X will allow you to easily modify the existing planes to the radio setup you have with conventional radios. But the most important thing is that you use the real life procedures when ever possible. That way you will never get into the situation that you involuntarily start doing things which “worked” in FS in the real plane.
Timothy wrote:
It’s great with force feedback controls.
I’d have to try the one you use. The inital force feedback yokes were really not usable and mainly vibrated rather than used real force. What I found useful is a yoke which has no defined center position, as the airplane doesn’t have one either unless you fly Airbusses.
I find X-Plane very useful. As for VFR – I sometimes ‘fly’ it into an unfamiliar airport that may be challenging for various reasons so I get the sight picture in my brain before actaully taking the airplane there. It syncs beautifully with ForeFlight, btw.
